Semi Balanced Rudder

My previous boat was a C&C 29 with a semi balanced rudder, the E32-3 I have now does not have this feature. Long stretches with just a bit of weather helm in this boat is huge work where as the C&C was like power steering. Has anyone adressed this issue by adding to the leading edge of the rudder. Is it possible? Is there enough clearance to the prop? Possibly just extending below the prop? What do you think?

I suspect something other than the rudder on your 32-3.
Like most other boats from name designers in the 80's it has a semi-balanced rudder like the C&C.
It's possible that your former boat had even more blade cross-section in front of the shaft axis, but it's hard to say without a good picture or diagram.
From looking over some photos of sisterships on Yachtworld, it looks like the post is about a quarter of the way back, but it's hard to see exactly.


How much helm is a "bit of weather helm"? After all, you want some weather helm on any boat. How is the main on your particular boat? Often a used boat will come with a tired and baggy main, albeit white in color, no patches, and well attached at the primary corners...

Rig upright? (Not raked back for some reason.)

Finally, is there an underlying question possible about drag in the whole steering system? I ask due to our finding quite a bit of hardened grease in the rudder tube that made the steering rather stiff for many of the early years with our used boat.

Let us know what you discover, and if you have some pics of the rudder blade taken during the survey haul, please post 'em.

And, apropos of nothing more than trivia... which C&C 29 did you have? the larger late-70's mk1 or the 80's smaller mk 2?


Best,
Loren

I think this diagram is better than any pic I have or have found, as you can see the rudder post is at the very leading edge of the rudder, some of the other pics on Yachtworld were not representative as they have shoal draft, I have the full 6'2 draft as seen in this diagram. When I say some weather helm I mean the center of the wheel is at 2-3:00 at most, I am quite good at balancing a boat to not have weather helm be excessive to slow the boat, I have a bunch of trophys from that C&C (mk1, the fast one) The C&C by the way was much more tender then the E32-3, in 14kts of wind when the puffs came up you would have to put in a bunch more helm (still easy to steer) on the E32-3 she will track much better in those puffs however even a little more helm in puffs is a bunch of work.